Video of ‘pro-Palestine’ demonstration in Turkey is actually from 2021

23 October 2023
What was claimed

Multiple social media posts imply that a video which shows a ‘pro-Palestine’ demonstration in Turkey occurred following the recent conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Our verdict

This video was taken during demonstrations in May 2021, not October 2023.

A number of accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) have shared a video that allegedly shows crowds in Istanbul “protesting” and chanting “Send Turkish soldiers to Gaza”. 

These videos were posted between 8 and 11 October 2023, and some feature hashtags such as “#GazaUnderAttack” and “#hamasattack”. One post claims this demonstration occurred on 7 October 2023. 

In the video, a large group of people are heard chanting and many are waving Turkish or Palestinian flags. One post stated the video shows people in Turkey in an “appeal [to] Erdogan to send Turkis[sic] Army in Gaza to fight against Israel & Netanyahu”. 

However, as others have pointed out, this video was filmed before the most recent conflict in Israel and Gaza, which began earlier this month.

It first appeared on X on 10 May 2021, and is footage of a demonstration that occurred in Istanbul on that date after an outbreak of violence in East Jerusalem. 

Misinformation can spread quickly during large-scale global events and be difficult to contain. We’ve written about multiple other false and misleading claims about the recent conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip, as well as other global events including the floods in Libya, earthquake in Morocco and wildfires in Maui

For further advice on how to verify videos before you share them, read our guide.

Image courtesy of Mstyslav Chernov.

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